Computing devices face many threats from the wide variety of other computing devices to which they are connected. Malicious websites and servers on the Internet are a common problem, as are infected computing systems on a local network. But peripheral devices are also a potential vector for Trojans, viruses, spyware, and malicious software of all kinds. A key logger on a portable storage device may pose as much of a threat to a computing system as a piece of malware inadvertently downloaded off the Internet.
Despite the risks, users often still want to connect their peripheral devices to computing systems. A user may wish to sync her music library, transfer files, and/or upload photos from one device to another. In many cases, the user may only wish to charge the peripheral device from the computing system and may not wish to use any of the peripheral device's other functions.
Traditional systems for protecting computing systems from peripheral devices may rely on all-or-nothing policies that cannot selectively disable or enable any particular function of a device. Some traditional systems may merely ask members of an organization to refrain from connecting their peripheral devices to computing systems without enforcing that request as a requirement. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for protecting computing systems from peripheral devices.